Sharpie Mugs - DIY

6:30 AM

I was looking for a personal gift for people at Christmas last year, and with my love of Pinterest, I thought it was a good idea to try the DIY mugs done with sharpie oil based paint markers as all of the people I was buying for are tea drinkers. I am sure pretty much anyone on Pinterest has pinned at least one of these pages to one of their boards thinking how easy it would be to do these as a gift at some stage and how personal that gift would be. Here is the page that I used for guidance http://gluedtomycraftsblog.com/2013/12/diy-painted-mugs-that-wont-wash-away-craft.html I do have other posts about the same project on my 'DIY - Made & Loved' Pinterest board.

I read many posts about these. Some do them with standard sharpies, others don't. Some hold and others wash off really quickly. It was a bit of fun experimenting with these.

A couple of the posts called for the Oil Based Sharpies or a ceramic paint, as these would bake on better. The down side was that I had to order these oil based Sharpies from overseas as they are not readily available in Australia. They aren't cheap either, but I got a 5 pack with free postage for about $35 Australian. The other product I used, that is easily available in Australia, were Posca markers. I purchased a selection of colours from my local craft store and added these to the mix. I was super interested to see if they would have the same effect due to availability.

The other factor which I didn't considering to be one, was the quality of the china that is used. Both styles of mugs are by Maxwell & Williams. It seems that depending on the treatment/coatings on the final product, it can have a slight difference as to if your new design will hold or not. I cleaned all of these with Methylated Spirits (rubbing alcohol) to make sure that any residue that was left form the creation of the product was long gone prior to these markers touching them.

It is also when I have ideas to take on DIY projects that I am glad I am a crafter/scrapbooker. These alpha sheets that I had in my stash worked perfectly and I didn't need to shell out more money for new ones.

Once the cups were dry I set about placing the alpha sticker (you could do words too if you wish). I have only completed one side of these, but there is no reason why you couldn't do both sides or wrap a word around the cup. When placed correctly, I took the first colour and started dotting around the letter, making sure there was space left for the other colour to close it in completely. I continued to dot moving out from the centre and starting to leave white space. I then repeated this process with the second colour. You do need to take your time doing this task, as a couple of times I 'dotted' the cup and the marker slipped drawing a small line. Luckily these weren't too long and they were able to be covered.

Prior to putting these in the oven they were bright and vibrant, as you can see in the below picture. One tip is to hold you cup by placing your hand on the inside. This way you don't get skin oils on the outside surface, which may cause the marker not to take during the baking process.

I found that I got bits of paint under the alpha sticker, but it was easily removed with a cotton tip and methylated spirits. Don't be too harsh on the imperfections.

These were then placed in a cold oven, where I allowed them to heat with the oven to about 180 degree (350 Fahrenheit). Once it hit the top temperature, I allowed them to bake for 30 minutes, where the oven was turned off and the cups cooled with the oven. Once the oven was cold, I left them for another 48 hours just to make sure everything had set.

The colours didn't stay as vibrant after the baking process, so don't be too fussy about the colours you choose. They will do their own thing anyway!

I tried to scratch bits off with my finger nails to see how the different paint markers held up and both seemed to be ok. Just to make sure that the recipient was aware of the fact that they were hand made, I put together a little tag just to make sure. It also added a nice little personal touch.

These tags were made with a few stamps, 2 different ink pads, embossing powder and washi tape.

Remember that imperfections are what makes these hand made and personal. These would be a wonderful idea to have kids of any age do a cup/mug for mothers day/fathers day each year. Another personal touch that will be cherished for time to come and super easy.

I would love to know how you go with this DIY project, and if you find any tips that work towards a better finished product.

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About me

Living in paradise still has its ups and downs!! I live with my wonderful husband Austin and our furbaby border collie Echo on the sunny south coast of NSW, Australia. I work full time for a transport company, am involved with Aussie Rules, love to travel and try and find time for the creative part of my life with photography and scrapbooking. I always have more than one project on the go. It's just a question as to when I will get back to it! Join me on my journey through all things life, love and craft.